


During the Storm

by Southbroom



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Bickering, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Romance, What more do you want?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-21 14:22:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12459606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Southbroom/pseuds/Southbroom
Summary: Alec and Ellie find eachother during the storm of the century.





	During the Storm

**Author's Note:**

> I really miss these characters.

The news had promised that it would be the biggest storm to hit the coast of Britain since the 1700’s, but then again, the news was rarely completely correct.

To Ellie, the rain seemed to sing as they zoomed past it. It was defiantly not the conventional British drizzle, but even less the hurricane everyone thought it would be. The droplets were fat things, beating down on the car, but there didn’t seem be any of the predicted 120km/h winds - at least not yet.

“It’s angry rain, that’s what this is.” Ellie thought out loud.

Hardy kept his eyes level on the road, which was increasingly harder to see through the windscreen wipers.

“Not as angry as Davies.” he said, serious as ever.

Ellie rolled her eyes. Hardy was one to talk, grumpy bastard that he was. Still, Chief Superintendent Davies from the police station in Bridport fell into another bracket of gloomy dispositions entirely. During their regional meeting for the Wessex Police Department, Davis had spent a whole half hour complaining about the sorry state of small town police service in the district. The man had gone so far as to evil eye Hardy as he was explaining his point.

“We used to call him ‘the hyena’ when I was still in uniform.” Ellie told him, “Have you heard the man laugh? Be glad you haven’t. He sounds exactly like those creeps from The Lion King.”

Hardy’s lips quirked upwards. A subtle twitch, but not something gone unnoticed by Ellie. Hardy turned on the indicator, the sound of its clicks barely audible over the rain. He turned into the winding road leading into Broadchurch.

“Can you go any slower?” Ellie moaned, “My guests are waiting.”

“So you've said, Miller. I am going as fast as I can in this.”

“Its 7:35. I told everyone to come an hour ago.”

“Oi, it’s not my fault that Cyclone fucking Davies decided to show his face.”

“It’s not a cyclone. Its a hurri-“

“I know.” he snapped back, “I was trying to make a joke.”

Ellie crossed her arms, feeling suddenly irritated with the slow pace of the day. First it was her car breaking down; then the miserable storm; Davies and his long lecture; and now one and a half hour’s drive with the miserable Scotsman himself.

“It’s Wednesday night.” he stated.

“And?”

“Wednesday afternoons we have regional meetings in Bridport or meetings with traffic department in Exmouth. Standard. This really is an ill time to start throwing dinner parties, Miller.”

“I have friends visiting Broadchurch - people I haven’t seen since forever. Tonight was the only time that I could see them. At least Beth offered to do some cooking for me. She is already busy entertaining them.”

“And the boys?”

“Fred’s with Lucy. She is bringing him home later. Tom is still in London for that gaming convention.”

“What gaming convention?”

“The one I told you about last week. God, do you ever really listen anything I say?” Miller huffed, making large gestures to emphasise her point.

Hardy raise his eyebrows.

“Sorry,” she added after a while, “I’m just in a bad mood.”

“That time of the month?” he said, his face deadpan.

Ellie slapped him on the arm. “Bloody rude!” she exclaimed.

He chuckled lightly. For once it was her doing the brooding and him being a ray of sunshine. Once they turned into Foxglove Way, Hardy stopped outside the overgrown hedges of Miller’s driveway.

“Thanks for the lift.” Ellie said shortly, “Tomorrow first thing we'll work on the Stephens case?”

“That’s right. Thank you, Miller.”

"Goodbye, Hardy."

She hopped out his car and rushed in toward the front door. Even over the noise of the storm, Hardy could hear a few excited yelps. A man embraced Ellie and picked her up off the ground.

Hardy watched as the door closed and sighed deeply. Even the fat rain droplets could not hide Miller’s joy. He set the car in reverse and rolled back into the street, ready for another night alone in his chair while Daisy slept soundly in her room.

Then a hand tapped against the bonnet of the car.

“Miserable sod.” Ellie yelled. “Open the bloody door!”

Hardy recoiled as the cold water splatted onto his face. Miller held her umbrella over the door and grinned like a mad woman. Clearly her dour mood had disappeared.

“I forgot my handbag.” she announced, reaching over him and grabbing it from the seat.

“Ellie, hurry up! It’s cold!” someone called from inside the house.

He watched as her face went from a concerned glance over her shoulder to a cringe. Then she flashed him her top-class forced smile.

“Listen, um… Beth says there’s extra food if you want to join us. If you don’t have any plans with Daisy… Well you’re welcome to come in.”

Miller looked deeply uncomfortable with her proposition. Was it because he an embarrassment to her friends? Or was she thinking back to the last time he had dinner at the Miller’s? Now that really was a reason to cringe.

“Okay.” he said softly.

Hardy stood so tall under her umbrella that his hair touched the top. Miller yanked his upright posture down and together they marched to the front door. He was barely over his nervousness from being pressed to Miller’s back when a sea of faces greeted them at the front door.

“This is Alec Hardy, everyone. We work together. Hardy, this is Craig and his wife Dottie. They’re visiting from Amsterdam. And this is Lucas. Mind you, I think you’ve met? Bonfire night last year? No, okay. Well this is Lucas and Isabella, they’re from Charmouth. Lucy, of course, and Beth is in the kitchen, I think.”

“Hullo, Alec. Pleased to meet you.” a man greeted, shaking Hardy’s hand.

Hardy could not for the life of him remember which name his was in the string Miller had just said. He settled on an awkward: “Hey you.”

 _Yes, that was it,_ Hardy decided. He was a socially incapable human being and Miller was ashamed to grace her guests with his presence. He’d best not muck this up.

x

“Will you be okay walking home in this? It really is coming down.”

“We’ll be fine, El. The place were staying at is only a block away. Thank you so much for inviting us.”

“Well as you know, Beth did most of the work.”

“It was great all the same. We’ll see you on Friday then? I think Tom is going to like meeting Megan.”

“I am sure he will. I’ll see you two in a few days, Craigie! Dot!”

“Bye, Ellie!”

“Bye, El!”

And with that, her two friends ran off into the rain, clad in umbrellas and waterproof jackets.

Ellie smiled, satisfied with seeing her old school friends again. She had not seen Craig and Dot since Danny’s murder and she was secretly dreading what rumours her friends might have heard. Luckily, they had taken her side. The one time that the topic of Joe came up, she thought that she handled the situation quiet well. She briefly explained the case and the trial, with aid from Beth and Luce. It wasn’t agony repeating the tragedy; but it wasn’t a walk in the park either. Ellie remembered the wide-eyed worry on Dot’s face and how funnily enough, the only thing that seemed to keep her tears at bay was the cool eyes of Hardy. He was quiet and considering from where he sat across the table. Giving her not a look of pity, but a hard look that she couldn’t really explain.

“The thunder woke me up.” a small voice said. Ellie rushed to the kitchen ready to comfort poor Fred, but Hardy was already there. He picked up the little boy, balancing him on his narrow hips. She watched the scene with curiosity.

“Where’s my mum?”

“Mummy is just saying goodbye to her friends. She will be back now.”

“Is she out in the rain?” Fred asked. Ellie’s heart melted with the concern in her son’s voice.

“I hope not. Otherwise your mum’ll be all wet. It will look like she came out the shower.”

“Silly! You can’t shower with your clothes on.”

“That is true.” Hardy agreed.

“You wash yourself in the shower with soap and you wash clothes in the washing machine with special soap.” Fred explained with all the wisdom of a five-year-old, “Mum washes all my clothes and Tom’s clothes and Grandad’s clothes. And her own clothes.”

“Your mum is a very busy woman.”

The boy nodded.

“But I think I keep her the busiest.” Hardy claimed.

“No, I do.” Fred smiled. “I am her baby boy.”

“No, little lad. You are all grown up. Look how strong these arms are. I think the big baby stealing all your mum’s time is me.” Hardy smirked as the boy dissolved into giggles.

“I’ve never seen a baby with a beard.”

“Everyone okay?” Ellie entered the room.

“Mummy!” Fred crashed into her legs.

“Lets get you back to bed.”

“Goodnight, Uncle Alec.” Fred said brightly.

“Goodnight, wee Fred.” Hardy said, his accent catching the r’s in the boy’s name. Ellie mouthed a “Thank you.” to Hardy as she climbed the stairs.

When she returned, Ellie found him by the basin.

“Oh you really don’t need to do that.” Ellie scolded, bumping him out the way.

“It is the least I could do, Miller. You gave me free food.” he explained.

“You are still a guest in my house.”

“A last minute, uninvited guest.”

“Fine. I’ll wash, you dry.”

“Fine.” he agreed.

“I see you made a friend today.” she said.

“Yes, Lucas. He is an interesting man.”

“Oh, I was talking about Fred just now. And you spent the whole night talking to _Peter_ , not Lucas.”

“ _Peter?_ You never introduced a Peter to me.”

“I did. He’s Lucy’s boyfriend. Oh god, did you call him Lucas all night long?”

Hardy’s face dropped, “Oh, you can stop chortling now, Miller. Where do these plates go?”

“Botton drawer, left of the oven.” she said, the laugh not quiet out her chest yet. “Seriously, I had no idea you are so interested in hiking.”

“My mum always took my sister and I hiking when were small. I tried the same with Daisy, but, you know.”

“City girl?”

“She is like Tess. Doesn’t like sports. Or nature. And then my heart started packing up anyway. No more father-daughter hiking trips.”

“Well Luce is going to be glad. Peter finally has someone to talk to about his Inca Trials and Alp expeditions.” Ellie said in a mocking tone.

“The man seems a tad obsessed.” Hardy agreed, his face all knotted up.

“It is all he talks about.” Ellie trailed off.

Hardy reached up to put a wine glass in the cupboard. Ellie shook her head at how lean his already lanky body became when it was stretched. A single line formed from the tips of his lock pick fingers to his battered work shoes. She found herself staring at the exposed skin of his stomach that showed under his shirt and immediately scolded herself. Why was she so continuously distracted by the little quirks of Alec Hardy?

“I didn’t think he is the right man for Lucy. He seems a bit plain for her.”

“My sister has terrible taste in men.” Ellie nodded, “Although if yo ask me, I think this last one is more of a financial investment than anything else.”

“Is she still doing all that online gambling?”

Ellie passed him the last fork in the basin, “Well I sincerely hope not. I have adopted a policy of ‘no interference’ over the years.”

Hardy smiled sadly. He leaned against the counter next to her, pulling the sleeves of his shirt back down to their original positions.

“A got an email ‘bout an hour ago. Chesil Farm. We need to be there tomorrow morning at nine. They had another thievery of sheep. _Twenty this time._ ”

“Bollocks! That's the second time this month! I was there with Bob just last Monday. Do you know how long it takes to drive there? Mrs Bennett calls on the landline because there still isn’t reception in that corner of Dorset. Oh, and poor Mr Bennett with his sore hip. You know, these knocked down fences and missing sheep must be packing serious stress onto the poor man’s injury.”

“Never let them say rural coppers don’t care about their community.”

“Fucking Davies.” Miller hissed.

“Fucking Davies.” Hardy agreed.

A clap of thunder broke the silence, signalling Hardy that it was his time to go.

“I should get back to Daisy.” Hardy stated.

“Yes.” Ellie said. They walked to the door and he turned to her expectantly. She was better at the social etiquette.

“Listen, Hardy.” she said cautiously, “Thank you for being here tonight.”

“It’s a pleasure, Miller.” he barked.

“No, really. It was good having you here dealing with Peter; helping with Fred.” She said. She quickly clasped his hand in her’s, “Thank you.” she squeezed his fingers with each syllable.

“No problem.” he said briefly. It felt odd just standing there holding his hand, but even stranger when he pulled her to his chest.

“Oh, we do hugs now?” Ellie spoke into his jacket.

“You hugged all your other guests goodnight.” his baritone vibrated against her, “Don’t you believe in equality, Miller?”

“Sure.” she mumbled.

She was grateful for the noise of the storm because her heart was pounding so loudly she could hear it in her ears. _What is this,_ she asked herself. A demanding question that got no reply. All she could think about was the solid feel of his palms on her back and the course texture of his beard in her neck. _This is wrong, Ellie,_ she heard the coherent part of her brain say.

She pushed him away - softer than she meant to - which turned out to be another mistake all on its own. In the process of untangling herself, she bumped her nose against his. Painfully.

And instead of him recoiling, she felt something press against her lips.

She shoved him away, her instincts kicking him before her mind could. She furiously wiped her face with a sleeve.

“The fuck?” Ellie bleated.

He stood a few steps away, looking like a kicked puppy. A puppy with big, brown eyes and reddened ears.

“Sorry, Mil - I should go.” he said quickly.

And then he stalked out the door, clicking it closed behind him. And as quick as whatever just happened happened, he was out.

Ellie’s mouth fell open. She leaned against the staircase’s railings for balance.

_Was that-? Did he-? Did she-?_

Did Alec bloody Hardy just attempt to kiss her? Her fellow detective, her coworker, the man she used to loath. _This is terrible!_ What was she going to do tomorrow morning? It would be immensely awkward - but not something she could exactly ignore because she spends every fucking minute of the day with this man.

Worse yet, why was her heart still pounding and why did she feel like she was filled to the brim with helium?

“Shitshitshitshit.”

Just as the storm in her head raged, so did the one outside. A violet crack in the air started her.

“SHIT!”

It was followed by a blinding light which made Ellie jump. She was so startled that she charged outside to inspect the damage.

Hardy hadn’t left. He was standing outside his car was, also scanning the area for where the lightning had struck.

“Did you see where it hit?”

“No. It was close but it wasn’t here exactly, I don’t think.”

Hardy stood tall in the downpour. The rain made his fringe stick flat to his forehead. His suit was soaked. His eyes narrowed when the sky came alive with another crack.

“No fucking way!” Ellie swore.

“What?”

“No fucking way you’re driving home in this! Come inside. I’ll make us tea.”

“Miller…” he started.

“Now! Or I’ll find your drowned corpse in the ditch tomorrow morning.”

x

Ellie was stirring a third spoonful of sugar into her tea in an attempt to calm herself down. She had just come back from checking on Fred. Madly enough her boy was sleeping through the electric storm, snores and everything.

“You okay there, Miller?”

“Positively dashing.”

“Millahr?”

“I’m fine. Would you stop wittering.”

He laughed at the irony of her words, “Well, are we just not going to talk about it?”

“About what?” she pronounced, not without fury.

“You kissed me.” he said gently.

“I-“ she swallowed, “I did no such thing. You- you kissed me.”

Hardy raised his eyebrows.

“Are we honestly going to argue about this? Its simple, _Alec._ ” He twitched at the use of his name, “I bumped my nose against your face because you were being a fuckwit by standing so close and then you went and kissed me.”

He stared at the depths of his cup and she immediately felt guilty for getting so angry. She wondered how often she had seen him put on the same haunted face when her words became too cruel.

“How long - how long have you wanted to do that? Honestly.” she piped up, embarrassed by her words.

Hardy blinked. “I’m not going to tell you that.”

“Come on, Hardy. We’re not twelve.”

“How long have I wanted to-“

“Kiss me?”

“Kiss you.” he said uncomfortably, long fingers curling around his teacup.

“Well, urm. Remember the day you cracked Sandbrook? It was an overwhelming day. Claire and Ricky and Ashworth. Well, you took me outside by the boats for some fresh air and I… I cried.” He rolled his eyes, somewhat ashamed. “And then you sat and just stayed. That was more that anyone had…”

Ellie averted her eyes. She could tell how difficult it was for him to express himself in this way. Hardy was a quiet man, not one for parties and crowds. For a long time Ellie had though of him to be the kind of person who never got close to anyone. The kind of person who kept himself to himself - a closed chest. Yet he made the effort. The years of working with him revealed a more colourful character underneath his layers of gloom. He made the effort for her.

“And for you?”

“Oh I don’t know.” Ellie gulped nervously, “Never.” she joked.

She was surprised by the hurt it his eyes when she said it.

“No, I mean, the past couple of months maybe. All that business with Trish Winterman. Maybe that’s when… I don’t know.”

She felt herself blushing hotly.

“ _Really?_ You, _Miller?_ Seriously, Miller?” he asked, so full of disbelief it was comical. “Are you being sarcastic?”

“No. I really… I don’t know what I feel, okay.” she said, not wanting to make him too optimistic. She downed her over-sweetened tea.

She felt him shuffle beside her, placing his cup in the basin.

"I had no idea." he spoke briefly.

His hands fidgeted terribly and she wondered if this was going to be the new atmosphere of their daily life at work.

“Ur - Ellie.” She shivered.

"Yes?"

He had ever called her by her first name?

He took the cup from her hands and put it on the counter. She kept her eyes in front of her, anxious to his movements and intentions. _What now_? She could feel his eyes burning on her, but why wasn’t he doing anything?

When she eventually faced him, his eyes were saucers. He seemed frozen in place, like any sudden movement would break him.

She reached her hand out, cupping his prickly jawline. She then smoothed her hand back, combing through his hair - still wet from the downpour. His eyes eyes were huge and dark in the dim kitchen light and Ellie was sure her’s were the same. He returned the favour, taming her wild curls and catching a stray tear with his thumb over her cheek.

x

And so during the hurricane of the century, two battered detectives found each other at last. The next morning they would still get up and bicker like children until the sun goes down. But when it does set, in a thousand hues of orange and blue on the ocean, Alec would find Ellie. In all the storms the two had battled together, this was the first one that Alec held Ellie close.

**Author's Note:**

> The definition of true love is commentry on Fan Fictions. No pressure. =)


End file.
